Which heuristic involves judging the likelihood of events based on how closely they match particular prototypes?

The representativeness heuristic is focused on making judgments about the probability of an event based on how closely it resembles a prototype or a typical example of that event. When individuals use this heuristic, they compare the characteristics of the event or situation in question to their mental images of what they believe is common or typical, thereby assessing its likelihood.

For instance, if someone encounters a person who is very quiet and enjoys reading, they may use the representativeness heuristic to conclude that the person is more likely to be a librarian than a salesperson, solely because they fit the stereotypical image of a librarian. This method of judgment can lead to errors, as people might overlook relevant statistical information and base their decisions solely on prototypes that may not accurately reflect reality.

The other proposed heuristics, like the availability heuristic, are based on how easily examples come to mind; the anchoring heuristic relies on the initial piece of information encountered; and the influence heuristic would relate to persuasive factors, which are distinct from the judgment based on prototypes. Each of these cognitive processes operates differently in how individuals assess situations or make decisions. Thus, the representativeness heuristic is the clear choice for this question concerning judgments based on prototype similarity.